Step 3: Hook your Battery and lid On

Step 4: Fill with Ice Packs and Enjoy

The last thing left to do it get some ice packs that have been sitting in the freezer and set them down into your container. I filled mine with s...

This is an instructable on how to make an extremely simple mini cold air fan and alternative to cooling off. This will help you to recycle & reuse some stuff you have rather than throwing it away and it ending up in a landfill somewhere. You more than likely you already have all the items laying around that are needed for this project and I have made this to be so simple that anyone could do it. This is a pretty good thing to have , especially if you happen to be the only one wanting to cool down in the room. You can also use this to help keep something cool be it food all the way to electronics. I know there are others out there people have done before this one but again I tried to make this fan in its most simple form.

The battery that I used was old and it last maybe an hour or so , but if you had a new battery or had one hooked to a solar panel then it could last a pretty decent time. Time would also depend on the fan that you use.

We have a lot of old computer fans around, and I intend to build several of these to use when the power is out after a hurricane. Getting ice is no problem then, and I freeze it in gallon jugs for our cooler anyway. That's probably the only time I'd use this, but when you need it you need it, such as in the Florida heat and humidity after a hurricane when it is unbearably hot. Last time I didn't have a dry stitch on for 5 days.

Depending on where it's used, this could be very green. People using this in their car or truck would find that they would end up saving gas. Car engines are not optimized for generating electricity, or running the A/C compressor. The electrical grid is optimized for efficiency (at least in comparison to a car's engine), so this would save you money and result in burning less fossil fuels, even in those areas where coal is used in electricity generation.

That is true yes, however it's saving the plastics and fan from ending up in a landfill. it uses far less energy than a fan you run from an outlet or cutting on an AC unit. Every little bit counts, don't you think? And nearly everyone has a freezer so why not make the most use out of it you can. You could also easily integrate solar power to charge the battery as well, and hopefully it makes people think of how they can reuse stuff they have. Of course recycling is always an option.Thanks for taking the time to check this out and thanks for the comment and questions.

I think a solar charger would be great. I run my PC off of a few large panels and an amp+Battery bank. But I don't think you'd need a massive solar panel for your project. Solar pipe (Oil and/or salt) + Peltier + Your design - (Minus) the ice = pwnage. You could use the heat from the solar pipe to power the Peltier, which powers the fan AND gets freezing cold on the negative side (Is it negative? I might be wrong) so you wouldn't need ice. Question is....is it possible? Also if you direct airflow straight up, you'll be forcing cold air to raise and mingle with the warm air, cooling your room considerably faster =)

They are pretty cheap online, like 10-15$ I think. I've never bought one, always had one laying around from a mini-fridge or something that I've gotten from back when I worked at coca-cola. There's also some DIY projects and instructables on how to use them to convert heat into electricity.

I would consider this greener as the cold air can be supplied directly to you. Its a cooling effect more than just moving hot air with a fan but not having to run a whole room or house AC as much would save a lot of energy. You can stay cool and let the rest of the house warm up all it wants.

Until you decide to get off the couch and do other things, then you would probably turn on the AC as the "Personal" unit probably wont do much for a family of 4 + pets. Like I said, it's a good idea, it's mobile and convenient.

Also look out for expansion of the ice, it could potentially be enough to crack the container if it doesn't flex enough. Unrelated, I was also thinking maybe a insulated cooler would work well (though not as cheap or as easy to modify). It would help to keep from taking on heat through the walls as they are insulated and also prevent condensation on the outside. I really want to make one of these for next time we go camping, its too humid around here in summer for a swamp cooler to work well.

the ice does expand it a little but with these plastic containers they have a good amount of give in them. An insulated cooler would be much more efficient, I've been on the lookout for some cheap ones when I go out to the thrift shops and what not. Thanks for checking this out and hope that you enjoyed it. Thanks for the comment as well

I use a similar setup, but for odor control. 110 volt muffin fan is mounted on lid Folgers plastic coffee container. About 35 holes are drilled through upper third of side of container. 5 cups water, 1/2 cup Soil Moist, and 2-3 oz of Ona liquid odor control liquid. The Soil Moist crystal expand, and you end up with a gelatin type mixture. The fan blows down on the mixture, expelling odor control scent. Fan is on a timer, running about 15 minutes every 1-2 hours, as needed. Crystals do dry out over 2-3 weeks, but adding 2-3 oz ONA and another 4-5 cups of water will renew crystals so you have more odor control.

Nice idea! How about using a frozen diaper for the freezing part? Take the clean diaper apart and put the powder very carefully into an old clean sock. Wet it and place it in the freezer. To use it quickly wet it again and place inside your plastic container.

I am speaking from experience. The best part is there is no water to throw away like when ice cubes melt. I use frozen diapers to cool myself all summer long. I have a neurological condition that makes me over heat. Reuse and throw away at the end of the season.

Check the CFM rating. The 110 volt fan I noted was 36 CFM rated and seems to do fine. You likely won't find a higher CFM rated computer fan, as they're usually very quiet, which means low air flow, likely around 5-10 CFM as a guess. If you don't need the portability of the battery pack, I'd opt for the 110 volt to get more air flow. I got mine from Ebay, getting 2 fans with shipping for around $20.

About This Instructable

Bio:Well not much to know about me really. Name is Tait live in Alabama. I enjoy all sorts of hands on projects; Woodworking, electronics work, alternative energies. I'm currently in school for my AAS in ...read more »